How humanity transformed its fate
From surviving on wild plants and game to controlling our world with technology, humanity’s journey of progress is a story of expanding human agency.
Why aren’t we automatically registered to vote? With this program, we could be
SecureAVR, also known as the “Motor Voter of the 21st Century,” makes registering to vote seamless and secure at the DMV. With millions more potential voters, here’s how this system could enhance democracy across the country.
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Hard Reset
This company is winning the race to create the first factory in space
The race to build the first space factory is on — and this team is beating everyone to the finish line.
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Hard Reset Podcast
Hard Reset Podcast: Energy Density | Episode #15
The US has some of the best solar and wind energy in the world. Now there’s a cheap, zero-emissions way to store it.
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Hard Reset
See the robots turning a $250B industry into a one-button click
It takes years to fix a complex fighter jet. Machina Labs’ robo-factory could do it at the click of a button.
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Hard Reset Podcast
Hard Reset Podcast: Strong Water | Episode #14
This slime is non-toxic, 100% biodegradable, and fights fires with 10x the strength of water. Here’s how it’s revolutionizing firefighting.
Maps say this place doesn’t exist. But that’s not true
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
Maps say these places don’t exist, but that’s not true. Millions of people live in unmapped regions around the globe. Here’s why it’s critically important that we help close map data gaps.
Future Explored
Freethink's premier newsletter exploring the incredible technologies moving the world forward.
How AI is rewriting Silicon Valley’s relationship with the Pentagon
Silicon Valley is warming to the Department of Defense as it works to get new AI systems developed and deployed en masse.
What will it take for smart glasses to replace smartphones?
Smart glasses that combine personal computing, AI, and augmented reality could be the next life-changing consumer tech device. Here’s how.
New to Freethink?
We focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most groundbreaking technology shaping our future.
Artificial Intelligence
Perplexity, Google, and the battle for AI search supremacy
AIs that generate answers to user queries could transform search, but only if someone can get the tech and the business model right.
Tesla’s new self-driving software throws out its old code entirely
Tesla made a bold move ahead of its robotaxi launch, completely overhauling the code for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.
How Google’s new AI could revolutionize medicine
Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold 3 could be the future of drug discovery — and the journey to its creation started more than a century ago.
Ray Kurzweil explains how AI makes radical life extension possible
Life expectancy gains in developed countries have slowed in recent decades, but AI may be poised to transform medicine as we know it.
T-Minus: SpaceX's Starship vs. Boeing's Starliner
Comparing Elon Musk’s Mars rocket to NASA’s new ride.
The New Space Race
T-Minus: SpaceX’s Starship vs. Boeing’s Starliner
A breakdown of SpaceX’s Starship, Boeing’s Starliner, and what they mean for the future of space exploration at NASA.
T-Minus: How will solar storms affect Mars astronauts?
Freethink’s breakdown of the biggest space news, featuring NASA’s efforts to protect astronauts from intense solar storms.
T-Minus: How to not die on (the way to) Mars
A breakdown of the five biggest threats to future Mars astronauts and what NASA scientists are doing to overcome each one.
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Flying taxis are coming to San Francisco.
Now discussing AI-generated “slop,” the Supreme Court’s rulings on social media deplatforming laws, and a case for misinformation being overrated. Here’s a preview: 1️⃣ Kristin Houser, Freethink journalist, discusses…
“A tiny six-inch screen redefined what it means to grow up, hit milestones, and pass time, so much so that this generation’s upbringing is entirely alien even to that of…
Join us as we dive into the debate around screen time, why the metaverse isn’t dead (yet), bringing the next 1 billion software developers online, how the internet transformed news,…
New study: "Red vs. Blue States" maps do this to your brain
Original Series
This is a show about rebuilding the world from scratch and reimagining everything from first principles.
Freethink Favorites
Stories focused on interesting solutions to big problems.
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Just Might Work
Biohackers take aim at big pharma’s stranglehold on insulin
These biohackers plan to give away their instructions for how to make insulin for free.
Farming robot kills 200,000 weeds per hour with lasers
Carbon Robotics’ LaserWeeder is a smart farming robot that identifies weeds and then kills them using high-power lasers.
Supercentenarians’ DNA reveals clues to human longevity
A human longevity study involving people over the age of 105 has found that genetic variants linked to DNA repair appear to contribute to a longer life.
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Just Might Work
How robots could end animal captivity in zoos and marine parks
Could robotic dolphins help marine parks become more humane spaces where people can learn about and connect with nature?
Twisty nuclear fusion reactor gets twice as hot as the sun
Physicists optimized a nuclear fusion reactor to overcome a problem that causes heat loss and prevents the device from sustaining fusion.
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Coded
Tractor-hacking farmers take on John Deere
Tractor hacking is a fast-growing trend in the farming community — but it’s not outsiders breaking in.
Japan breaks world record for fastest internet speed
Engineers in Japan have set a new world record for fastest internet speed — 319 Tb/s — using a specially developed fiber-optic cable.
Sophia the Robot will be mass-produced this year
Hanson Robotics is going to begin mass-producing Sophia the robot in 2021, making the social robot available to help combat the pandemic.
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Challengers
This DIY laptop is challenging tech giants like Apple & Microsoft
Disposable tech is part of big tech’s business model. This engineer is fighting back by creating a DIY laptop anyone can repair on their own.
Prisoners will get a $2,750 check when they leave prison
A non-profit is experimenting with providing prisoners a $2,750 check when they leave prison. The goal is to reduce recidivism and help people get a fresh start.
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Hard Reset
How mirrors could power the planet… and prevent wars
If adopted globally, concentrated solar power could make major waves in manufacturing, not to mention prevent wars over oil and mitigate climate change.